It is well known that individuals and organisations continually upgrade their computer equipment. For example, an individual or organisation may simply want to improve the speed of running of currently owned software applications and will therefore typically purchase a new computer or network server, as appropriate, in order to obtain a more recent and therefore faster central processor unit, more and/or faster memory, etc. An individual or organisation may require additional and/or faster file and/or data storage because of growth in the size of files or amount of data that is stored or simply for quicker access to the stored files/data. As a further example, newer software applications may have a minimum computer specification that exceeds that currently owned by the individual or organisation. As will be discussed in more detail below, the purchase of additional or new, upgraded computer equipment brings numerous problems, including particularly the requirement for a significant capital outlay and for time to be spent in installing and setting up the new equipment. In any event, the cost of maintaining computer equipment can be significant, both in financial terms and in respect of the time spent in maintenance.
Today's IT applications (both off-the-shelf and custom-designed or bespoke) tend to be designed around smaller-scale Intel architecture servers running the Microsoft NT® or Windows 2000® operating systems, and more recently Linux®, BSD®, and other Unix® variants. These smaller scale systems tend to proliferate in organisations, leading to the management difficulties described above. Though mainframe-type computers may offer lower “total cost of ownership” for certain applications, the industry trend of moving away from those architectures has meant that applications are simply not designed to run on them, and “porting” the application is likely to be unacceptably disruptive, risky and costly.
Furthermore, in e-business infrastructure provision, for Internet-hosted applications, organisations have expended significant time, resources and money procuring and setting up and maintaining new hosting systems comprising a plurality of separate servers, firewalls, network routers and switches, all for the purpose of delivering one or more applications across the Internet to users.
The current state of the art in connection with a number of particular computer-related areas will now be briefly discussed.
File and Data Servers, Including Archiving Services
individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of file and data servers using one or more file/data sharing protocols such as NFS, NFS+, SMB, and Appleshare, allowing storage of and access to computer-held information on shared computer systems. These computer systems run file-sharing software and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. File and data servers can also be used to archive information.
As demands increase, individuals and organisations either upgrade existing servers, or where this is not done, additional or upgraded replacement servers are procured.
Application Service Provision
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of IT (information technology) applications that run on computer systems. These computer systems run one or more applications and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. Many individuals and organisations have now begun using Applications Service Providers to provide IT applications services via the Internet or other external network.
Prior art techniques involved in applications delivery across the Internet or other network involve either: multiple organisations sharing a single applications instance running on a single real server, which has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own applications instance running on a single real server, which also has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own applications instance running on multiple server partitions on a single real server, which has limitations as the partitions are typically static; or multiple organisations, each with their own dedicated server held at an ASP hosting centre, each running a dedicated application instance.
Database Service Provision
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of IT applications which access client/server or distributed databases running on computer systems. These computer systems run one or more applications and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. Many individuals and organisations have now begun using external Service Providers to provide client/server or distributed database services via the Internet or other external network.
Prior art techniques involved in client/server or distributed database server delivery across the Internet or other network involve either: multiple organisations sharing a single database management system instance running on a single real server, which has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own database management system instance running on a single real server, which also has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own database management system instance running on multiple server partitions on a single real server, which has limitations as the partitions are typically static; or multiple organisations, each with their own dedicated database server held at an service provider's hosting centre running one or more instances of the database management system.
Data Warehouse Service Provision
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of IT applications which access conventional, client/server or distributed data warehouses running on computer systems. These computer systems run one or more applications and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. Many individuals and organisations have now begun using external Service Providers to provide client/server or distributed data warehouse services via the Internet or other external network.
Prior art techniques involved in conventional client/server or distributed data warehouse server delivery across the Internet or other network involve either: multiple organisations sharing a single data warehouse management system instance running on a single real server, which has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own data warehouse management system instance running on a single real server, which also has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own data warehouse management system instance running on multiple server partitions on a single real server, which has limitations as the partitions are typically static; or multiple organisations, each with their own dedicated data warehouse server held at an ASP hosting centre.
Knowledge Service Provision
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of knowledge management systems, such as Intranet, Extranet and Internet web servers, search engines, web cache, free text retrieval systems and knowledge sharing applications such as Lotus Notes/Domino, which access client/server or distributed knowledge management databases running on computer systems. These computer systems run one or more applications and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. Many individuals and organisations have now begun using external Service Providers to provide client/server or distributed knowledge management services via the Internet or other external network.
Prior art techniques involved in client/server or distributed knowledge management server delivery across the Internet or other external network involve either: multiple organisations sharing a single knowledge management system instance running on a single real server, which has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own knowledge management system instance running on multiple server partitions on a single real server, which has limitations as the partitions are typically static; or multiple organisations, each with their own dedicated knowledge management servers held at a service provider's hosting centre.
Digital Media Production Servers
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of file and data servers allowing storage of and access to computer-held digital media information on shared computer systems during the course of audio recording and production, video recording and production, digital photography and imaging, television programme making, film making, hologram production and production of other multimedia material. The digital media information may consist of data files containing the images, moving pictures or audio recordings in digital form, but may also contain information relating to how the information is to be processed within studio systems, such as edit decision lists or MIDI files containing automated sequencing and mix-down information. These computer systems run file-sharing software and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. As demands increase, individuals and organisations either upgrade existing servers, or where this is not done, further servers are procured.
“Intellectual Property” and Streaming Media Servers
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of “intellectual property” servers allowing storage of and access to computer-held digital media or other “intellectual property” information on shared computer systems. These computer systems run “intellectual property” management, licensing and download applications and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a 3rd party organisation to operate. The “intellectual property” may include but not be limited to digital photographs, sound recordings, video recordings, digital movies, still holograms, moving holograms, digital animations, software, firmware, drawings, designs, schematics, plans and documents.
Prior art techniques involve: multiple organisations sharing a single “intellectual property” system instance running on a single real server, which has associated security, manageability and availability limitations; multiple organisations using multiple “intellectual property” system instances running on a single real server, which has associated security, manageability and availability limitations; multiple organisations, each with their own “intellectual property” system instance running on multiple server partitions on a single real server, which has limitations as the partitions are typically static; or multiple organisations, each with their own dedicated “intellectual property” servers operated internally or at an “intellectual property” hosting centre.
Web Hosting
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of world-wide-Web servers which run on computer systems. These computer systems run one or more web applications and contain one or more sets of web content and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. Many individuals and organisations use Internet Service Providers to provide Web hosting services via the Internet or other external network.
Prior art techniques involved in Web hosting applications delivery across the Internet or other external network involve either: multiple organisations sharing a single Web server applications instance running on a single real server, which has associated security, functionality, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, using “virtual Web servers” which are created by a single Web server application instance on a single real server, which also has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their Web server instance running on multiple server partitions on a single real server, which has limitations as the partitions are typically static; or multiple organisations, each with their own dedicated Web server held at an external service provider's hosting centre.
Complex e-Commerce Web Hosting
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of world-wide-Web e-Commerce systems which run on computer systems. These computer systems run one or more associated Web servers, database servers and applications and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. Many individuals and organisations use Hosting Service Providers to provide complex Web hosting services via the Internet or other external network.
Prior art techniques involved in complex Web hosting applications delivery across the Internet or other external network involves construction of a complex array of dedicated server hardware to provide Web server, security firewall, database server, applications server and various systems development, test and management server capabilities, at often high capital cost and significant procurement and installation lead time, and occupying significant amounts of floor space in hosting centres.
Computer and High-Performance-Computation Service Provision
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of IT applications which run on desktop or server computer systems of limited computational performance. These computer systems run one or more applications and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. Many individuals and organisations have now begun using Service Providers to provide high-performance-computation services via the Internet or other external network. There is a desire to use more powerful computation services either directly, or indirectly by means of automatic invocation by an applications program running on an existing IT system.
Prior art techniques involved for providing high-performance computing services via the Internet or other external network involves either: multiple organisations sharing a single applications instance running on a computation server or supercomputer, which has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own applications instance running on a single real server, which also has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own applications instance running on multiple server partitions on a single real server, which has limitations as the partitions are typically static; or multiple organisations, each with their own dedicated server held at a high performance computing centre.
Electronic Messaging and Conferencing Service Provision
Individuals and commercial, non-commercial and government organisations currently make use of electronic messaging servers which run on computer systems. These computer systems run one or more applications and are either owned and operated by the individual or organisation using them, or are outsourced to a third party organisation to operate. Many individuals and organisations have now begun using Internet Service Providers to provide messaging and conferencing services via the Internet or other external network.
Prior art techniques involved in messaging service delivery across the Internet or other external network involve either: multiple organisations sharing a single messaging or conferencing applications instance running on a single real server, which has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own messaging or conferencing applications instance running on a single real server, which also has associated security, manageability and availability issues; multiple organisations, each with their own messaging or conferencing applications instance running on multiple server partitions on a single real server, which has limitations as the partitions are typically static; or multiple organisations, each with their own dedicated messaging or conferencing server held at a service provider's hosting centre.
Learning Neuro-Computer Service Provision
Work is currently being done to research and develop learning neuro-computers. To allow these systems to be accessible to multiple individuals and organisations, networks may be used to connect customers to one or more learning neuro-computer applications which execute on one or more conventional or learning neuro-computer hardware platforms. Customer terminals for accessing these systems may use conventional computer technology or learning neuro-computer technology.
For each of the services described above, the limitations and disadvantages of the current state of the art include the fact that procurement of additional capacity takes significant time to do (e.g. for ordering, configuration and installation); additional servers involve additional maintenance and operational support costs; extra capital expenditure is incurred; systems availability, reliability, backup and management become more difficult and costly as the number of servers increases; start-up ventures require large amounts of capacity to get started, yet may be unwilling or unable to afford the large initial commitments and costs involved; joint ventures between organisations requiring shared access to information and data require separate servers to be installed for security or operational reasons; server capacity is provisioned to provide acceptable service under peak load or storage usage conditions, such that capacity is typically over-provisioned for unnecessary cost; temporary business requirements necessitate procurement of temporary servers and capacity, often involving procurement of equipment and systems which might not be needed beyond the temporary requirement; smaller and medium sized servers are unable to take advantage of more sophisticated high-availability technology or technologies which enable more efficient use of secondary disk and tape storage; consolidation of services onto a larger server computer is made difficult because of the need to justify to management the capital procurement costs of a large system together with the need for specialist resources needed to maintain and support it effectively; additional intrusion detection systems running on separate hardware often needs to be added in high-security applications to detect attacks; prototype of development and test systems need to be separately provisioned, with additional hardware cost and system management implications; and, provision of backup facilities for disaster recovery purposes often involves the procurement of similar or identical hardware and software systems and configuring them ready to run services if main systems fail, resulting in increased complexity and cost.